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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I have two rescue dogs, and unless someone asks about the breed/age/where I got them, I don't mention that they're rescues.  Though they're mismatched mutts, so it's probably pretty obvious.  For us, rescuing is the right thing to do.  However, if you have health or physical limitations that restrict what breed you can get, or if you're not committed to dealing with the emotional issues that MANY rescues bring with them, then I'd much rather you buy from a responsible breeder than rescue a dog you're not able to manage safely and happily.  I have friends with rescues with serious reactivity and aggression issues that are now having babies.  It is so hard, but I wish they wouldn't have brought the dog into the house knowing they were planning on having kids in the next few years.  [/quote]

We also have two rescue dogs and I don't judge people for how they get their dogs other than those that are supporting obvious puppy mill operations.

However, we're also among those people struggling to decide what to do with our younger rescue dog now that we are starting a family.  His many issues only became apparent after we brought him home from the shelter, one of which is a terrible fear of children.  We've worked with him for years now to help get him better but with only marginal success.  There was truly no indication of what he would be like at the shelter, he appeared completely calm and relaxed.  It was only after weeks at home that he came out of his shell and we realized he'd been completely shut down and practically catatonic at the shelter.  Now we are starting a family and we are hoping and praying that he will adjust to the new family member but if he doesn't, yes we'll be responsibly rehoming him.  I know some of our friends are judging us since we're open about the fact that we will not force this dog to live with a child if it's making him miserable or if he poses a danger to our child.  It's easy to say we shouldn't have brought him into our home unless we were willing to deal with literally any possible behavior from him but it's not realistic in practice and we aren't willing to not have children because our dog may not tolerate it.

In response to OPs post about why people state they have rescues, I only do so when pertinent to the conversation.  Often on this board when I see people stating that everyone should just adopt, I'll preface my response with the fact that I have rescues of my own before going on to state that rescue isn't the only option.  If anything, all of the problems we've faced with our younger rescue have made me that much less judgemental of people choosing to use a breeder.  Because the same people saying everyone should adopt are often the same ones that tell me I should have known my dog could be like this and I should be ashamed for admitting that we may need to find him a new home.  [/quote]

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